Believe it or not, the Boston Celtics are looking more and more like a team that will not only make the NBA playoffs this year, but one that could legitimately contend for the Eastern Conference championship.
Of course, much of such new found optimism is a credit to three-time All-Star Antoine Walker, who recently returned to the team with which he played his first seven seasons in the league. In a handful of games with the Celtics since he was acquired from the Atlanta Hawks just a couple of weeks ago, Antoine is playing like the rejuvenated veteran he is, and his teammates seem to have stepped up their game as a result.
Those who follow the Celtics have also responded enthusiastically in kind, packing the FleetCenter – on July 1, to be officially renamed the TD Banknorth Garden – to the rafters and appearing, yes, giddy about the team’s playoff prospects.
The Celtics have been playing like champions – and they’ve been marketing their brand just as well.
Take, for instance, the team’s new green silicone rubber wristbands (not unlike the yellow ones that have called so much attention to the Lance Armstrong Foundation). Sold to the public for $2 each – with all proceeds going to the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation, which supports nonprofit organizations providing healthcare, shelter and vital services for New England children – thousands of these little tchotchkes have already been scooped up by rabid fans, who wear them to show their solidarity as much as to make a fashion statement.
Other good examples of the Celtics’ marketing prowess can be found on the team’s Web site. There, you’ll see that the business minds behind the basketball players are clearly cognizant that promoting your product (any product) nowadays means establishing sincere, mutually-beneficial relationships with your customers and constituencies. Legendary NBA basketball franchise or world-renowned manufacturer of widgets – regardless of your superiority – it’s not enough to just pound your chest anymore.
The idea that “if you build it, they will come” is, well, so yesterday.
The fact is, a lot has changed since Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parrish ruled the parquet, and I’m not just talking about the Celtics’ winning ways. Sports today are a business, and fans consumers – with more options and control than ever – who want a reasonable return on their investments of both time and money.
You can’t get away with ignoring the hands that feed you anymore. You can’t afford to default to corporate-speak and old-school communications tactics amid today’s savvy and skeptical purchasing public. Superstars or rising stars, whatever you do as an organization, you need to do it among your devotees, not above them. You need to reach out and embrace those who believe in you and whatever your “team” is selling. You need to follow the Celtics’ example.
At www.celtics.com, you’ll find a section where guard Marcus Banks answers questions from fans (e.g., Q. “Why do you wear number 11?” A. “I always liked Isiah Thomas. Besides, my college number (#3) is retired for Dennis Johnson.”).
You’ll also have the opportunity to follow Delonte’s Diary, rookie Delonte West’s refreshingly down-to-earth take on life in the NBA (e.g., “When I saw the ball on the floor, I knew we had to get control of it, so I just dove down there and grabbed the ball, and my natural reaction was to call the timeout.”).
And, finally, among so many other good things, you’ll be able to read a heartfelt letter Antoine Walker wrote upon returning to the Celtics, in which he confided in fans as follows…
“I just wanted to take a minute to tell you how good it is to be back in the green and white! Since the time I was traded 16 months ago, I hoped that one day I would be in a position to come back to the Celtics and play for this organization again, because this is where I really feel at home. I cannot tell you how happy I was when I got the call from Danny… don’t get me wrong, being traded is a difficult thing. But this is like a storybook situation for me and my family. For us, Boston is home – this is where my roots are. This is where I want to be, and you are who I want to be playing in front of each and every night.”
Any basketball fan around here can enjoy the Celtics’ fine play of late. Like both the Red Sox and Patriots did in the last six months, they’re giving all of us New Englanders reasons to be cheerful. But just as important, any advertising, marketing or PR professional anywhere can learn more than a few good lessons from this storied NBA franchise. The “green” don’t just know how to win games – they also know how to win friends and influence people. And in today’s newfangled marketing arena, that’s how to rise above the competition. And stay there.
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